


Soul'd Out

by loveseek630



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-12 18:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18452279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveseek630/pseuds/loveseek630
Summary: Hongbin doesn't like candles. Nor flowers. He doesn't believe in soulmates either.At least until he realizes that he badly wants to be a certain someone's soulmate.





	Soul'd Out

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Soul'd Out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18669466) by [Maru_Kusanagi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maru_Kusanagi/pseuds/Maru_Kusanagi)



> Based on prompt of Nbin's real life friendship with romantic inklings...*
> 
> The prompt was in canonverse, so the scenes are based shows I've watched. I hope those who haven't watched will be able to enjoy them still~  
> 

“He’s my soulmate. He knows everything about me,” Lee Minhyuk proudly bragged to his members.  
  
  
  
Hongbin automatically cringed as he watched the show. He vaguely remembered coming home and suddenly being forced to sit on the couch to keep Hakyeon company while he watched BTOB’S new Cool Men episode. He didn’t really have much complaints since he was friends with BTOB as well, but Hakyeon was especially interested on this episode because it required the members to call their celebrity best friends and not surprisingly, Minhyuk called Hakyeon.  
  
  
  
“If knowing everything about a person makes you a soulmate, then you’re everyone’s soulmate,” Hongbin muttered more to himself, but it didn’t escape Hakyeon’s ears.  
  
  
  
“Minhyuk just clicks with me, you know?” Hakyeon chuckled. “But yeah, well,  if you go by that thinking, then I’m your soulmate too,” he added.  
  
  
  
“You don’t know everything about me,” Hongbin replied, slightly laughing while watching the rest of BTOB get frustrated with how Hakyeon was trying to needlessly prolong his phone conversation with Minhyuk.  
  
  
  
“Hmmm?” Hakyeon turned his head to stare at him, eyes squinting slightly as if scrutinizing Hongbin. “What don’t I know about you?” It wasn’t so much as a question as it was a challenge.  
  
  
  
“If I tell you now, then you would find out and just say you already knew it,” Hongbin said, quite proud of himself.  
  
  
  
Hakyeon pouted, but then he grinned. “Well, I know that you like me.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, says you.” It earned him a light punch on the arm.  
  
  
  
“What? You don’t like me? After all this time?” the pout was back on Hakyeon’s face but Hongbin knew it was just playful banter. One of the things Hakyeon would know for sure was that Hongbin liked him, admired him, and especially respected him. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have followed Hakyeon to stay with Jellyfish and VIXX.  
  
  
  
“I don’t, not at all,” Hongbin chuckled, but he placed an arm around Hakyeon’s waist and then pulled him closer so they could lean against each other while watching. “Just shut up and watch the show.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon smiled with understanding. He slipped both arms around Hongbin as well and then rested his head against his broad shoulder. They just sat like that in comfortable silence until the show finished.  
  
  
  
By the time Hongbin lay on his bed that night, their conversation still played repeatedly inside his head.

 

What did Hakyeon not know about him?

 

He knew even the smallest things that Hongbin barely noticed, like on which side he preferred to have his glass placed while having a meal. If he was honest, there were a few times when he felt like Hakyeon knew him better than he knew himself. Those times when he refused to admit even to himself that he was anxious about his drama auditions, his dancing, or his vocal abilities - Hakyeon always had the right words at the right time. It was like Hakyeon could look into his soul and just know what he wanted. Exactly as if he was… Hongbin’s soulmate.  
  
  
  
Hongbin shook his head. Was that how soulmates worked? Weren’t soulmates supposed to have more common traits, somehow similar fates, or maybe just really click together? He had lots of opposing interests with Hakyeon. They had very different personalities, and like the other members, he often complained about Hakyeon’s overflowing affections. Hakyeon’s soulmate would probably be someone more affectionate or at least did not mind intimacy. Someone who could stand spending hours on the phone talking to him just about anything. Someone like… Lee Minhyuk.  
  
  
  
Hongbin bit his lower lip as he felt a slight pang on his chest. It made him uncomfortable how logical it seemed for Minhyuk and Hakyeon to be soulmates. They suited each other so well and even have shamelessly flirted oncam.  
  
  
  
Yet... Hongbin couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe he knew Hakyeon deeper, suited him better... He wouldn’t be so bad as a soulmate, would he?  
  
  
  
“Fck,” he cursed under his breath. Hakyeon was his friend. They were  brothers as much as they were bandmates. He was not supposed to feel anything romantic towards him. When did he even accept the idea of having a soulmate? The concept used to make him cringe so hard.  
  
  
  
Right. They were friends. It didn’t matter how kind and caring (or damn right attractive) Hakyeon was. Hongbin wouldn’t be swayed by those sweet little moments of comforting hugs, or reassuring pats on the back.  
  
  
  
Except…  
  
  
  
It occasionally got difficult to ignore his feelings when he kept being paired with Hakyeon. Not only did the company keep putting them together for photo shoots, even the members ride along fan “ships” and joked with each other about these pairings.  
  
  
  
Sanghyuk particularly teased him about dating Hakyeon more often than he would like.  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
“Marriage is something you should do with the person you really like.” Hongbin cringed as he watched himself on the screen. His thoughts were sincere but he was obviously forcing himself to voice it out loud for the sake of having something to say in front of the cameras.  
  
  
  
His eyes then grew wide as he realized which scene they were watching.

 

On the screen, Sanghyuk was half smirking beside him as he teased -  
  
  
  
“You should marry N-hyung then.”

 

Hongbin could see from his peripheral how sharply Hakyeon’s head snapped to face him. Of all the scenes they could have shown the members for the final episode recap, why did the PD choose this one? Why, of all people, was Hakyeon sitting right next to him while watching this?  
  
  
He was having a slight internal panic but he managed to plaster a dimpled smile on his face, albeit pointedly ignoring Hakyeon’s curious gaze.  
  
  
  
The footage played on, with him dragging Sanghyuk behind a door for what seemed to be a good beating.  In reality, Hongbin only ever managed to pinch his arm and scold him for joking about such things oncam.  
  
  
  
It was a scene Hongbin hoped the members would never see. He thought it would be so annoying if Hakyeon started bugging him about it - keep asking how much he liked him, or even go as far as how  Hongbin would like their wedding to be.  
  
  
  
But Hakyeon settled with giving him a neckchop, “You shouldn’t hit Hyuk.”  
  
  
  
Was that it?  
  
  
  
Hongbin was almost disappointed. He did his best to keep the smile on his face until the moment had passed. They moved on to the next scene and he found his chance to glance to his side.  
  
  
  
Hakyeon was focused on watching the videos and commenting as he found it appropriate, completely forgetting about the earlier clip.  
  
  
  
Normally, Hakyeon wouldn’t have let Hongbin live it down and tease until the joke gets old. It wasn’t that Hongbin wanted to make an issue out of it, but he found it odd that Hakyeon let it go that easily.

 

Or so he thought.  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
“Is anyone there?” Hakyeon called from the bedroom. He had been on his bed the whole morning, upon the doctor’s advice that he needed some bedrest after ignoring his backpain for so long.  
  
  
  
Hongbin promptly peeked through the door and announced his presence. “I’m here, hyung.”  
  
  
  
“Can you help me stand?” He stretched out a hand.  
  
  
  
Hongbin walked towards him to grab it but didn’t pull him up just yet. “Where are you going? You’re supposed to rest today.”  
  
  
  
“I’m just gonna go sit on the couch instead. I’m extremely bored just lying on my bed.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin was skeptical, but he did feel sorry for Hakyeon so he leaned down, slipping an arm around the fragile back for support as he pulled Hakyeon up. “Don’t strain yourself, okay? I’ll haul you back to your bed if I see you pushing yourself too hard.”  
  
  
  
“Hongbin, my back just hurts but I’m not bedridden.” Hakyeon scowled. As soon as he was able to stand, he let go of Hongbin’s hand and walked on his own towards the living room. Hongbin followed closely behind him.  
  
  
  
“Where is everyone?”  
  
  
  
“Working, composing, out with friends. One of those.”  
  
  
  
“What were you doing here alone then? You could have gone to see your friends too.” Hakyeon gripped the armrest of the couch and started crouching, only to have massive pain shoot up his back. Hongbin immediately ran up to him to help him sit down.  
  
  
  
“I’d rather stay here and play games.” He sat on the adjacent couch after helping Hakyeon settle, making a point of showing his gaming laptop set up on the living room table.  
  
  
  
“Either that or you lost rock-paper-scissors so you have no choice but to take care of me today,” Hakyeon joked. Hongbin always played inside his room because Taekwoon often complained about his outbursts whenever he played. It was quite obvious that he transferred to the living room so he would be able to hear and help Hakyeon if he ever called.  
  
  
  
“It’s a bit hot in my room right now, so I settled here instead,” Hongbin replied defensively, as if knowing exactly what Hakyeon was thinking.  
  
  
  
“Yeah, sure,” Hakyeon chuckled. It wasn’t so bad. He had no protests whatsoever with Hongbin taking care of him. “Well, since you’re here, would you mind fetching the candle kit from my room?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin frowned. “You’re not working on candles in that condition.”  
  
  
  
“Come on!” Hakyeon begged. “I’m just gonna sit here and move my arms. It’s no big deal.”  
  
  
  
“You’re supposed to lie on bed or lean back. Taekwoon-hyung said you can’t do anything else today. Just watch the TV.”  
  
  
  
“Oh so Taekwoon’s the boss now?”  
  
  
  
“Your doctor is the boss. He said you need complete rest and today is the only day you get that.”  
  
  
  
“Please?” Hakyeon pouted, pulling the cutest face he could. Puppy eyes, puffy cheeks and  pouty lips often worked on Jaehwan but rarely on Hongbin. He was not the type to get swayed by cutesy acts but in such situations, Hakyeon had no other cards up his sleeve. “It’s not that hard to make candles. And it will be just between the two of us. Taekwoon wouldn’t know.”  
  
  
  
“N-no,” Hongbin stuttered.  
  
  
  
“I just want to finish those candles before the weekend.” He rubbed his palms together as he blinked rapidly, begging with overflowing cutesy.  
  
  
  
Hongbin flinched at the sight. “Ugh , hyung, stop that. You look like an idiot!”  
  
  
  
“I won’t stop until you say yes. Please, please, pretty please? Hongbinnie~~”  
  
  
  
“Fine! Just stop that, please. It’s gross!”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon grinned smugly, flipping his hair then fixing his fringe. Guess cutesy worked on Hongbin in a different way.  
  
  
  
Hongbin cleared up his gaming devices from the table to make room for Hakyeon’s craft. “I’ll help you, but you need to stop and rest when I tell you to, okay?”  
  
  
  
“Yes, sir!”  
  
  
  
They sat together on the couch as Hongbin set everything up. He took it upon himself to melt the jellies and then pour them down the containers so Hakyeon only had to place the wicks.  
  
  
  
“It’s healing for me to do this, you know?”  
  
  
  
“You make too many candles,” Hongbin complained, but he smiled as he saw the relaxed expression on Hakyeon’s face. “What do you even do with them?”  
  
  
  
“I give them out as gifts. Each color and scent has a different meaning, so I want to convey my feelings towards a person with the candles I give them.”  
  
  
  
“Aren’t flowers prettier and more presentable?”  
  
  
  
“Flowers are nice, but they wither quickly. With candles, the recipient gets to keep them longer and use them well.”  
  
  
  
“Who are these candles for then?”  
  
  
  
“Minhyuk.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin’s hand unconsciously gripped the pot tighter, almost spilling the hot jelly on the table. He did recover quickly and made sure nothing was wasted. "Of course, your beloved soulmate."  
  
  
  
“They’re preparing for their first concert so I wanted to give him a gift.”  
  
  
  
“Ahh, I see.” Hongbin would have asked about the meaning behind the candles but he wasn’t sure if he was prepared to know so he just kept working quietly.  
  
  
  
Hakyeon, on the other hand, must have found the silence more deafening, so he started chatting up again. “One day, I’ll confess to someone with a candle.”  
  
  
  
“Ahh, that unlucky person. That doesn’t sound like a very romantic confession.”  
  
  
  
“Why not?”  
  
  
  
“It’s just not.”  
  
  
  
“Well, coming from someone who hates romance, I’m not gonna listen to you,” Hakyeon laughed.  
  
  
  
Hongbin just rolled his eyes.  
  
  
  
“You don’t want to receive fragrant candles?”  
  
  
  
“I would if I wanted to burn the whole house with it.”  
  
  
  
“You can’t marry me then,” Hakyeon frowned.  
  
  
  
“W-what?” Hongbin was thankful he wasn’t holding anything at the moment because he probably wouldn’t have been able to save those candle jellies. “Why would I even marry you?”  
  
  
  
“Oh, didn’t you want to?” Hakyeon kept teasing, despite the blush creeping up his own face. “Didn’t you say you’d marry someone you like?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin hissed. He started fiddling with the containers to try and spread the jellies evenly, only to mess up the edges. “I’m surprised you still remember that, considering you couldn’t even remember the name of the show we were doing.”  
  
  
  
“It’s Plan V Diary! Plan V!” Hakyeon responded confidently. “You’re not denying that you like me, are you?”  
  
  
  
“Yah, what kind of person would want to marry you and then  help you make presents for another man?” Hongbin still wouldn’t look at him but he gestured over the candles defensively. “I’d help you make confession candles for Minhyuk-hyung if you want!”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon just laughed. “You like me too much,” he said as he slipped his hands around the other’s arm and tugged on him.  
  
  
  
“Stop it, hyung. The candles will get ruined.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon sighed. His back was starting to ache too, so he let go of Hongbin’s arm and leaned back on the couch again. He let Hongbin finish everything up and set the candles to the side for cooling.  
  
  
  
“Don’t worry, I won’t give you candles for presents.” He joked with a pout over lunch. “Ever.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin gripped his chopsticks tightly. Well, now he knew he would never get those confession candles.  
  
  
  
  
-=o0o=-  
  
  
  
  
“I thought you said you don’t like flowers?” Hongbin came home one evening to Hakyeon arranging flowers on their living room vase.  
  
  
  
“Hmmm?” Hakyeon blinked a few times, wondering when he ever said that. “What makes you think so? I love them.”  
  
  
  
“You said they wither quickly and you liked candles better.”  
  
  
  
“Ahhh, I just don’t like giving them out as gifts, but if someone really likes flowers, I would gladly buy for them .”  
  
  
  
“You bought flowers for someone?”  
  
  
  
“I went to a flower market with Wongeun today. We bought some for his mom and then I bought these for myself.”  
  
  
  
“Ahh, Lee Wongeun, your new soulmate,” Hongbin joked. Hakyeon had too many close friends but it seemed like Wongeun won in terms of who had the most common interests with Hakyeon. They’ve been hanging out whenever Hakyeon had free time.  
  
  
  
“We went on a show today. You know the one where celebrity best friends go on a trip together? We went to Yangpyeong for some water rides.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin squinted. “Now you like water activities too?”  
  
  
  
“I don’t, but he took me there so we had to do it,” Hakyeon chuckled.  
  
  
  
“I see…” Hongbin held back a sigh. Not only did Wongeun have more common interests with Hakyeon, he also managed to make him do the things he normally wouldn’t like and actually have fun with it.  
  
  
  
“Aren’t they pretty?” Hakyeon smiled happily and proudly as he stared at his work. Then he turned to face Hongbin, waiting for a reply.  
  
  
  
“...”  
  
  
  
“You don’t like them?”  
  
  
  
“Candles are more practical.”  
  
  
  
“This one bundle costs 12,000 won. That would buy you a single snack with drinks and you get full for a few hours then feel hungry again. You can stare at these flowers for a whole week and feel happy about it before they wither.” Hakyeon explained with a pout, echoing Wongeun’s sentiment to him earlier that day.  
  
  
  
“They’ll still wither anyway.” Hongbin hoped the fake smile on his face was enough for Hakyeon to take it as a joke, which it was. But he also couldn’t shake off the tiny bit of jealousy bubbling in his stomach.  
  
  
  
Seeing Hakyeon’s shoulders drop as he passed by, he decided to backpedal and not let his bitterness get ahead. “It’s pretty, hyung.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon raised his head and smiled again. “Really?”  
  
  
  
“Yeah. If you give that to anyone, I’m sure they’d love it.”  
  
  
  
“Anyone but you?”  
  
  
  
“If you give them to me, I’d put them on my bedside table and stare at it everyday.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon chuckled. “You don’t have to try so hard to cheer me up, but thanks.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin pursed a smile and gave Hakyeon a pat on the shoulder. “They really are pretty though.”  
  
  
  
He continued to walk towards his room, restraining himself from looking back at Hakyeon. It was only then that it finally sank in to him - whether it was candles or flowers, heck even if it was trash, he would gladly take any present from Hakyeon and treasure it over anything else. As Hakyeon’s birthday approached, he also itched to be able the give something that Hakyeon would like the most.  
  
  
  
  
  
It wasn’t even a competition, but Hongbin found himself always struggling to find the best gift for every occasion. He wanted to outdo the members, especially Hakyeon’s obvious favorites, Jaehwan and Taekwoon. He wanted to do better than Minhyuk and Wongeun. Unfortunately, he was never able to determine how successful he was on his feat. He just knew Hakyeon accepted his gifts with a smile.  
  
  
  
It took another year for him to finally think of the perfect gift - something that would probably make Hakyeon cry tears of joy if he received it. The only question was that would he want to receive it from Hongbin?  
  
  
  
Hongbin gulped. It was way too risky and could make things awkward between them. Of course he could just say he came across it and thought of Hakyeon, but then that would make it meaningless. In the end, he just placed it in a box, kept it inside his closet, and opted to buy a new pair of sneakers to replace Hakyeon’s worn out ones. One day, he’d gather up some courage to give Hakyeon his actual gift.  
  
  
  
  
-=o0o=-  
  
  
  
  
As it turned out, Hongbin never got to give his gift the way he wanted to. He just wasn’t confident enough. It didn’t help that he felt so useless just staring and tugging on Hakyeon when the latter fainted onstage mid-performance.  
  
  
  
“I’m all right, you guys are overreacting,” Hakyeon cheerfully teased when they got home that day. “It was just the heat. I’m fine now. Even the doctor said so. I just need to drink up more.”  
  
  
  
Right on cue, Taekwoon handed him a bottle of water.  
  
  
  
Hakyeon chuckled. “I guess it’s fun to be sick once in a while. I get to have you guys at my beck and call.”  
  
  
  
“Don’t say that, hyung. We were really worried,” Jaehwan frowned.  
  
  
  
“Come on, I bet you guys found it funny and would tease me about it later because you’re meanies. Right, Hongbin?”  
  
  
  
“Uhhh, hyung, I don’t think Hongbin-hyung would - “ Sanghyuk tried to interject, but Hongbin had snapped.  
  
  
  
“It’s not funny,” Hongbin said angrily. “It wasn’t funny when we watched you wince in pain because of your back injury. It wasn’t funny seeing you slip up during performances, and it wasn’t funny seeing you fall today. It was never funny, hyung.”  
  
  
  
“Hongbin,” Taekwoon walked up to him to calm him down but he stepped back.  
  
  
  
“I know we get a little mean with our teasing sometimes, but your health is no joke. Take care of yourself a little better.” Hongbin stormed off to his room.  
  
  
  
He sighed and cursed himself as soon as he was alone. Not only was he useless, he also lashed out on Hakyeon for his own incompetence. He was the first person to see Hakyeon fall and yet he did nothing until Taekwoon crossed the stage to help him up.  
  
  
  
“Hongbin,” Hakyeon opened his door without even knocking, taking a tentative step inside.  
  
  
  
Hongbin turned and proceeded to his closet to get a change of clothes instead of facing Hakyeon. He was too embarrassed for his outburst.  
  
  
  
“Hongbin, I’m sorry~” Hakyeon entered and closed the door behind him. “You must have felt shocked, right? I’m sorry I worried you.”  
  
  
  
“Don’t,” Hongbin muttered. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was just… flustered… I should have been able to help you.”  
  
  
  
“It wasn’t your fault either. You were right. I should have taken better care of myself.”  
  
  
  
“I should have noticed earlier.” He couldn’t even look Hakyeon in the eyes anymore. He just changed his shirt and fixed his gaze on the floor. It might have been a really inappropriate time, but Hongbin couldn’t help thinking maybe if he was Hakyeon’s real soulmate, he could have done better. “I knew you barely slept last night. I knew you were barely able to eat and drink before the show. I didn’t do anything.”  
  
  
  
“You couldn’t have known I would fall like that.” Hakyeon walked towards him. He stretched out his arms, reaching for Hongbin’s face and cupping his cheeks.  
  
  
  
“Hey, look at me,” he waited until Hongbin lifted his gaze to his face before continuing. “Today was unfortunate, but you’ve been there with me all these years. You’ve helped me in so many different ways, made me happy and comforted me whenever I felt sad. You’ve done so much for me.”  
  
  
  
“I haven’t done as much as the others,” Hongbin replied. And he hated that he was turning the conversation all about him and his self-pity when they should be talking about Hakyeon’s health.  
  
  
  
“You’ve done everything I could have asked from you.” Hakyeon raised his hand and gently caressed Hongbin’s hair. “Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin clenched his fists. He still felt incompetent but he sighed and nodded. He didn’t want Hakyeon to keep feeling sorry for him.  
  
  
  
“Hyung, you should rest u-”  
  
  
  
“Hey, what’s that in your closet?” Hakyeon suddenly asked, eyeing something pink the size of a shoebox past Hongbin’s shoulder. There wasn’t a lot of pink things in the closet so it stood out among his clothes.  
  
  
  
Hongbin turned his head and panicked when he realized what Hakyeon was asking about. He ran back to close the door but Hakyeon caught up and grabbed the handle, trying to pull it open again.  
  
  
  
“Hyung, let go!” Hongbin pleaded. He threw himself across his closet door and leaned against it to prevent Hakyeon from opening it.  
  
  
  
“What? What was it?”  
  
  
  
“Nothing! It was nothing! It’s a present I got from a friend.”  
  
  
  
“Liar. I saw my name on the card.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin could feel cold sweat forming on his forehead. It was almost as bad as when he saw Hakyeon on the stage floor. For the second time that day, he felt sick in the stomach and he wanted to throw up. “You read it wrong!”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon backed up, still staring at him suspiciously. Hongbin guessed that Hakyeon didn’t really have the energy for a physical fight with him. “Are you telling the truth?”  
  
  
  
“Yes, hyung,” he answered nervously. “Please, just go and rest up. You need to regain your strength.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon pouted, but grumbled an “Okay,” before turning around and taking a few steps towards the door.  
  
  
  
Just when Hongbin thought he could relax and make a mental note to hide his gift somewhere else, Hakyeon suddenly turned around and pushed him aside to get to the closet. He immediately grabbed the pink box and checked out the gift card.  
  
  
  
“Yah, Cha Hakyeon!” Hongbin yelled helplessly.  
  
  
  
“See! It’s my name written on it!” He ran off towards the bed where Hongbin tried to wrestle with him to get the box back but they just ended up rolling over each other, both refusing to let go of it.  
  
  
  
“Are you guys okay? You’re-” Sanghyuk suddenly opened the door to check on them after hearing the noise. “Oh…”  
  
  
  
“Sht,” Hongbin cursed. Of all people, it just had to be Sanghyuk.  
  
  
  
“Errr… Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you guys. I’ll go tell the others to not mind the noise so you can keep going at it.” He snickered as he closed the door quickly.  
  
  
  
“Han Sanghyuk!” Hongbin yelled again.  
  
  
  
Sanghyuk opened the door again, but this time he had a stern look on his face. “Hyung, you better let Hakyeon-hyung rest tonight. He’s sick and all, you know?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin grabbed a pillow and threw it towards the door, but Sanghyuk closed it back again and ran off.  
  
  
  
Hakyeon took the chance to pull the box out of Hongbin’s grip and back up against the headboard. He raised a foot to lightly kick Hongbin back by the shoulder. “Nuh-uh! You heard Sanghyuk!” He smirked. “Are you really going to keep wrestling me when I’m sick and dehydrated?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin facepalmed as he crouched on the bed. “That’s why I’m telling you to just leave and rest!”  
  
  
  
“Not until you tell me what this is.” He hugged the box tighter, afraid that Hongbin would steal it away from him.  
  
  
  
Hongbin could only pull on his hair in frustration and mental breakdown. This was not how he wanted to give his gift.  
  
  
  
“Hongbin?” Hakyeon still hugged the box tightly, but he eased up a little on the bed, seeing the distress on Hongbin’s face. “Is it so bad for me to find out? Isn’t it meant for me?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin sighed. Hakyeon had a bad day, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to give him a gift to cheer him up a little.  
  
  
  
“No, it is for you. It was a gift I got for your birthday last June but I found a better gift so I just kept that one and gave you the sneakers.” He sighed once more when Hakyeon’s face lit up with a smile. Damn, why did he have to be so gorgeous even when his hair was all messy and his make-up all but wiped out?  
  
  
  
“Would you give it to me? Can I open it?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin waved a hand in dismissal. “Do as you please.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon grinned as he opened the package, barely listening to Hongbin’s made-up story of how he just saw it on the street and thought it matched Hakyeon’s taste.  
  
  
  
“Hyung?” Hongbin gulped nervously when Hakyeon sat stunned upon opening the box.  
  
  
  
Inside was a mix of red and pink heart-shaped candles.  
  
  
  
A tear almost fell from Hakyeon’s eyes as he picked one of the red candles and sniffed it. Rose-scented. He smiled, twirling it around on his palm and taking a closer look.  
  
  
  
“You made these,” he said, finally looking up at Hongbin.  
  
  
  
“No, I said I-”  
  
  
  
“The edges are a little messy, like the ones we made together some years back.”  
  
  
  
“...”  
  
  
  
Hongbin’s heart was racing. His eyes were anywhere but on Hakyeon, unable to stare directly at his gift’s recipient. He knew he wasn’t the best person to make handicraft gifts but he didn’t think Hakyeon would be able to tell his work apart just by working with him once.  
  
  
  
“I… just thought you’d like them but it didn’t turn out well so I didn’t give them to you.”  
  
  
  
“They’re pretty,” Hakyeon said. He placed the candle back on the box and set it aside. “Hongbin,” he called, once again waiting for the other to look at him before doing anything else. Once Hongbin gave him glance, Hakyeon did his best to hold his gaze despite the tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. He wanted to let Hongbin know there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He blinked, shamelessly letting the tears fall in favor of having a clearer vision of Hongbin’s face.  
  
  
  
It was that gaze that just sucked Hongbin in. No matter how awkward he felt, he couldn’t help but keep staring into Hakyeon’s teary eyes. He reached out, wiping Hakyeon’s cheek with his tiny hand. “Don’t cry... Please don’t cry,” he said in an almost whisper. Even when crying, Hakyeon was just breathtakingly beautiful.  
  
  
  
Instead of replying, Hakyeon held Hongbin’s hand and leaned forward. He still kept the eye contact up until they were just a couple of centimeters away from each other. Then he drew his gaze towards Hongbin’s lips, ghosting over for a few seconds before finally closing his eyes and going for a kiss.  
  
  
  
Hongbin was frozen. He couldn’t hold Hakyeon’s hand or open his lips for a deeper kiss. He couldn’t breathe or move a single muscle. He just sat there unmoving, not sure of what to do. Heck he wasn’t even sure if it was really happening. Maybe it was a weird case of sleep paralysis where he was dreaming of Hakyeon instead of a dark ghostly figure at the foot of his bed.  
  
  
  
When Hakyeon pulled back, he stared at Hongbin worriedly.  
  
  
  
“I’m sorry. Did I misunderstand?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin blinked. His jaw dropped with fear and panic. He wasn’t dreaming. Hakyeon really just kissed him and he may have messed it up.  
  
  
  
“Sht, Hongbin, I’m so sorry! I thought…” Hakyeon moved further back, fanning his blushing face with his hands. “That was so stupid. I’m sorry, I didn’t - I’m just gonna go-”  
  
  
  
He was going to get up from the bed but Hongbin finally got his body working just in time to grab Hakyeon’s hand.  
  
  
  
“You… You’re not wrong,” he barely managed to breathe out. “You did not misunderstand. I… made those candles for you.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon settled back on the bed. “Why didn’t you give them to me?”  
  
  
  
“I… I just… got scared, I guess. Even now, I’m terrified but… just like how you use your candles to convey your feelings,” he glanced over the box beside Hakyeon. “When I made those candles, I hoped they would be able to tell you what I couldn’t say.”  
  
  
  
Hakyeon smiled. “I thought you said it wasn’t very romantic to confess with candles?”  
  
  
  
“I was never the romantic type anyway,” Hongbin scowled. “Sanghyuk calls me Nomantic for a reason.”  
  
  
  
“Oh Binnie,” Hakyeon chuckled. “You do know that shirt he gave you also reads as /N/mantic, don’t you?”  
  
  
  
The blush on Hongbin’s face just got brighter. “Kind of. Maybe. Yeah.”  
  
  
  
“And you still wore it?”  
  
  
  
“It… was a nice shirt.”  
  
  
  
“Hmmmm….” Hakyeon hummed. He pulled Hongbin’s hand so he could intertwine their fingers and then looked up at him again. “You really do like me then?”  
  
  
  
“I’ve always liked you.”  
  
  
  
“As a friend, yes, but… the type of like you’d want to marry?”  
  
  
  
“I just confessed. Why are we suddenly talking about marriage?!” Hongbin scrunched his face, but he pulled Hakyeon closer.  
  
  
  
“You’re the one who said you should marry the person you really like!”  
  
  
  
“Stop bringing that up! It’s embarrassing!”  
  
  
  
“You stop teasing me about soulmates too, then!”  
  
  
  
At those words, Hongbin’s smile faded. “Ahhh…” He stared down at their intertwined hands and started rubbing circles at the back of Hakyeon’s hand. “I won’t marry you. Not now, at least. But when that time comes… Would you choose to marry me over your soulmate? Minhyuk-hyung? Or Lee Wongeun?” If he watched that scenario as an outsider, he probably would have cringed so hard at himself. But it really bothered him.  
  
  
  
“You’re an idiot,” Hakyeon squeezed his hand. “Didn’t you know you were the only person I ever really considered as my soulmate?”  
  
  
  
Hongbin looked up again, biting back a grin and ignoring the way his face flushed. It was that moment when they both set aside their fears and just let go of everything, basking in each other’s love and affection. Before long, Hakyeon leaned forward for another kiss. And this time, Hongbin met him halfway, pulling him closer and gently carding a hand through his hair.  
  
  
  
When they parted, Hongbin refused to let go of Hakyeon’s neck. He just rested his forehead against Hakyeon’s while he caressed one cheek with his other hand.  
  
  
  
“You should rest.”  
  
  
  
“Yeah, I probably should.” Hakyeon giggled softly, sighing in content when Hongbin finally let go of his neck moments later. As much as he wanted to stay in Hongbin’s room, he would probably get more dehydrated because of the heat. Hongbin really needed to invest in an aircon.  
  
  
  
“You know,” Hakyeon grabbed his present as he stood up. But then he turned and started walking backwards, keeping his eyes on Hongbin as he approached the door. “Minhyuk and Wongeun may have more things in common with me, but when it comes to making my heart flutter, they can’t hold a candle to you.”  
  
  
  
Hongbin groaned and rolled his eyes but a smile threatened to spread across his face as he joked, "I may have to use those candles to burn the house down after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> My writing style may be a bit confusing but I hope you guys like it, especially the one who prompted~ ^_^


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